Creed Packs a Message Along with the Riffs

Wisconsin State Journal March 28 2000

"So I'll just ask a question. What If?"

So, what if Creed played the Dane County Coliseum? And, what if the show was sold out and the band played nearly every song off its 1999 "Human Clay" and 1997 "My Own Prison" CDs?

The answer to those questions became clear on Monday as Creed did all of that and more.

In fact, for 90-minutes the Florida-bred foursome repeatedly proved why they deserve to be heard in a venue as big as the Coliseum.

Creed is the kind of band that isn't so overly studio enhanced that they don't translate well live. And the dedication of their fans and the fact that they sing along passionately without being asked, proves that some people do care as much about a song's meaning as the sound.

Monday night, each Creed song offered a peek inside the mind of singer-songwriter Scott Stapp, who, like his hero in the late Doors' poet-singer Jim Morrison, makes a formidable front man. There was the social commentary of "In America" along with a hint at the key to survival in "Torn."

Creed is spiritual without being preachy but their lyrics also can be heady stuff if you dwell too much on them, which is why it's good that Creed also delivers good hard rock with a groove.

Add to that the fact that Stapp showed no signs of his past vocal chord problems and the show featured a small-town Fourth of July festival's worth of pyrotechnics.

One of the explosions rocked the Coliseum so hard that minutes later, during the usually full-blown guitar assault of "Unforgiven," Mark Tremonti lost power to his electric guitar. The driving rhythm section of drummer Scott Phillips (who wore a No. 22 Badgers basketball jersey usually reserved for point guard Mike Kelley) and bassist Brian Marshall filled in.

Tremonti, who was recently named Best Rock Guitarist by Guitar World magazine's reader poll, recovered in time to come back with "Illusion," "Faceless Man," and the deeply personal "Arms Wide Open."

Tremonti's trouble was a reminder that technology can get the best of us.

Creed also is the kind of band that draws dedicated fans from hundreds of miles away. In fact, just before show time Kathy Myers, 24, and Tania Lundgren, 26, sat in a truck that they had painted with "Creed Rocks" and flowers. They came from La Crosse for the show and Myers hoped to hear her favorite Creed song, "One."

Creed complied and after ending its set with "What's This Life For" played not only "One," but "Higher" in the encore.

"To me there is meaning in Creed's lyrics that really hits home for me at this point of my life," Myers said.

The cheering for Sevendust started the minute the stage crew hung the group's banner and continued throughout Sevendust's 45-minutes of hard core Mortal Kombat-style metallic riff rock that was offset by a barrage of strobes and downtrodden lyrics.

Sevendust has headlined Madison shows before, but this was their largest Madison crowd to date. Sevendust took advantage of that to provide a rawer-than-radio version of "Denial" off their new "Home" CD as well as songs such as "B--" and "Prayer" off their 1997 self- titled CD.

3 Doors Down performed 30-minutes of modern rock songs off their debut CD, "The Better Life," including the hard rocking "Kryptonite" and the Hootie and the Blowfish-style ballad, "Be Like That."

3 Doors Down ignited what proved to be a night of body passing people past raised cigarette lighters in search of mayhem, melody and the power that comes from combining issues of faith, fire, and rock and roll.

.Natasha Kassulke